Greater Good
by TheCaptainHP
Summary: Part of the Forever Marauding series.  James had had her, and then he'd lost her. There was no way he could bear to see Lily Evans' face every day. When the opportunity to do something more came up, James jumped at the chance to get away and maybe forget.


Chapter 1

_Love of mine some day you will die__, __But I'll be close behind_- Death Cab For Cutie, I Will Follow You Into the Dark

_Prongs. Padfoot. Moony. Wormtail. James. Sirius. Remus. Peter. Four friends who started out as a united, inseparable force. Four friends who ended up going down four incredibly different paths. They all ended the same way though. Death._

James squeezed Lily's hand as they walked down the hallway. They were back at Hogwarts. They both knew what had happened. Neither one of them had survived the attack. But Harry wasn't here with them. That was a good sign, wasn't it? He had survived. Why, they didn't know. But their son was still alive, and as long as he was alive it meant that Voldemort had failed.

"I wish we could have seen him off to the train his first year." Lily said softly.

"I wish I could have seen his first Quidditch match. If he doesn't grow up to play it's going to be all my fault."

Lily laughed before brushing a clump of hair out of James' eyes. "I have no doubt that our son is going to grow up to play. It's in his blood. He's your son. You always carried around that ridiculous little Snitch." She shook her head.

"You liked it though." He murmured, smirking.

They turned at the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them. James raised an eyebrow at the sight of the young woman. They weren't alone here?

"I know you." Lily said slowly, slightly hesitant. "We went to school together, didn't we? You weren't a Gryffindor, but you were in our year! We had Herbology together. You're a Hufflepuff."

James would have never remembered any of that. Another reason he was glad he had Lily. The woman nodded. "Jenny. It's alright that you don't remember me. Not many people do." She smiled softly. "I've been sent to greet you."

"We're dead." James stated. That made it official. "And Harry?"

Jenny shook her head. "Harry lived. He defeated the Dark Lord because of you, Lily. Love is the strongest type of magic out there."

He couldn't resist a snort and rolling his eyes. "Were the rules of magic written by a greeting card company?"

Lily hit him lightly on the arm. "Voldemort is…dead because of our son? Little Harry?"

There was a pause, and Jenny chewed on her lower lip in thought. "Not exactly. It was because of Harry, but Voldemort isn't dead. Not yet, at least. That isn't possible. He made…Well, you've probably never heard of them. They're called Horcruxes. Basically, Voldemort split his soul into several different pieces and store them in each in an object, sort of like a Portkey." She explained. "As long as the Horcruxes are safe, he can't truly die. He isn't living though. Harry will kill him eventually, but not for another sixteen years."

James blinked. "Split his soul? Blimey. Doesn't that hurt?"

Lily hushed her husband. "Will Harry be alright without us?"

"He doesn't have the best childhood, but he turns out well. He grows up with a good group of friends. Do you remember the Weasleys? That ginger family with all the children? Well, Harry becomes friends with their youngest boy, Ron. Molly and Arthur take him into their family and he ends up marrying their only daughter."

A small smile crept across Lily's face. "Our son marries a ginger too. I told you, he is his father's son."

At the sound of that, James perked up. "Does he play Quidditch? Please tell me he does."

Jenny let out a soft laugh. "Yes, he does. Harry becomes a Seeker during his first year."

James let out a low whistle. "His first year? We did good, Lils. For Gryffindor, right?"

Jenny nodded. "Gryffindor, for the brave at heart. Harry certainly is brave. I'll leave you two alone. You won't be together forever. James, you have some unfinished business with your friends you're going to have to attend to eventually."

"My friends? Aw, Padfoot and Moony don't make it for too long either?" He groaned.

"No, no. Sirius' time doesn't come until the end of Harry's fifth year, and Remus lives for another two years after that." She explained. "Harry isn't going to be able to live with Sirius. Peter…Well, he makes everyone think that Sirius was the one that betrayed you."

Lily let out a cry of protest. "No. He wouldn't sink that low." She shook her head.

"Lils… He's the reason we're dead right now. Are you really going to think he's not capable of betraying Sirius too?"

She hung her head. "James, you have horrid taste in friends."

The Marauders were reunited too soon. James felt terrible about the way Remus had come to them. He had died in the same manner as James, followed by his wife, and leaving behind an infant son. It wasn't fair. It truly wasn't fair. This damn war had created another orphan. Their sons were innocent. Neither one of them had deserved this. James and Remus had both had so much going for them.

Hearing Jenny explain that they would have another go at it cheered him up slightly. Another chance at life? A different life, but still a life. He missed the feeling of being alive. Those years with Lily before Sirius had arrived had been nice, but they hadn't felt quite right. His wife hadn't had the warmth to her that she had possessed in life. James missed the little parts of life. Even breathing. Nothing could compare with that. Nothing was quite the same was life itself.

He hoped in this second life he and Lily would have a second chance at their life together. If she warmed up to him sooner that would be just excellent. Maybe they could even have another child or two. Harry deserved a sibling, and James got a thrill at the thought of a family of little red-haired girls just like Lily.

The story of James and Lily wasn't over yet.


End file.
